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PhoneArena.com - Cell Phone Reviews, News, Specs and Info.en-usCopyright 2001-2006 PhoneArena. All rights reserved.phonearena@phonearena.comPhoneArena.comhttp://www.phonearena.com/img/logo-en.gifhttp://www.phonearena.com/
10780Samsung Galaxy S6 & S6 edge selfie camera comparison: vs iPhone 6, Note 4, and S5http://www.phonearena.com/news/Samsung-Galaxy-S6---S6-edge-selfie-camera-comparison-vs-iPhone-6-Note-4-and-S5_id66793According to Samsung, the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge are the results of 'relentless innovation'. Now, while both phones may look decidedly innovative, we can't just take such statements for granted, can we? We need to put the new devices through a complete set of tests, in order to evaluate their capabilities correctly. And you know what? That's exactly what we're about to do now for the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge, and their front facing cameras!

So, Samsung's new flagships are equipped with 5 MP front cameras - that's all well and good, but we wonder how their selfie quality is going ...]]>NewsTue, 03 Mar 2015 14:46:00 -0600http://www.phonearena.com/news/Samsung-Galaxy-S6---S6-edge-selfie-camera-comparison-vs-iPhone-6-Note-4-and-S5_id66793/commentsRay S.Which smartphones and tablet were named the best by GSMA?http://www.phonearena.com/news/Which-smartphones-and-tablet-were-named-the-best-by-GSMA_id66790The group responsible for MWC (GSMA), has started handing out the 20th annual Global Mobile Awards in conjunction with the 2015 show in Barcelona. The best mobile tablet award was presented to the Microsoft Surface Pro 3. That is a pretty impressive win for the Windows 8.1 powered slate, which Microsoft has been promoting quite heavily. Back in November, Time magazine listed the slate as one of the top 25 inventions of 2014.

Among the awards handed out by GSMA, the best smartphone title was given to a pair of handsets. The Apple iPhone 6 and the LG G3 are sharing the trophy this year. The ...]]>NewsTue, 03 Mar 2015 12:51:00 -0600http://www.phonearena.com/news/Which-smartphones-and-tablet-were-named-the-best-by-GSMA_id66790/commentsAlan F.Samsung announces new 8 MP ISOCELL sensor for front-facing camerashttp://www.phonearena.com/news/Samsung-announces-new-8-MP-ISOCELL-sensor-for-front-facing-cameras_id66787Samsung today announced a brand new image sensor that's specifically made for front-facing cameras. Called S5K4H5YB (the name just rolls off the tongue, doesn't it?), the new sensor is an 8 MP CMOS one that's based on Samsung's proprietary ISOCELL technology, while also using a new RWB color pattern filter (this one's developed by Samsung, too).

According to Samsung, the RWB color pattern further improves the light sensitivity and color fidelity that the ISOCELL technology was already enabling, thus the overall quality of images should be significantly enhanced.

Samsung says that ...]]>NewsTue, 03 Mar 2015 12:19:00 -0600http://www.phonearena.com/news/Samsung-announces-new-8-MP-ISOCELL-sensor-for-front-facing-cameras_id66787/commentsFlorin T.Selfie camera comparison: HTC One M9 vs One M8 vs iPhone 6 vs Note 4 vs Galaxy S5http://www.phonearena.com/news/Selfie-camera-comparison-HTC-One-M9-vs-One-M8-vs-iPhone-6-vs-Note-4-vs-Galaxy-S5_id66784So, the HTC One M9 has received a brand new, 20 MP main camera (thank you, HTC), but that doesn't mean that UltraPixel is already a thing of the past. Actually, it turns out that the notorious 4 MP UltraPixel technology from the One's previous generations has found new life - one as the front camera of HTC's latest flagship!

Thinking about it, that switch of roles makes perfect sense (ha!) - a front camera with a reasonable megapixel count and good capabilities to capture light in most various lighting conditions could prove to be a welcome tool for all those selfie lovers out there.

Well, ...]]>NewsTue, 03 Mar 2015 11:38:00 -0600http://www.phonearena.com/news/Selfie-camera-comparison-HTC-One-M9-vs-One-M8-vs-iPhone-6-vs-Note-4-vs-Galaxy-S5_id66784/commentsRay S.OnePlus to introduce new product next month; device is not a smartwatch, tablet or even a smartphonehttp://www.phonearena.com/news/OnePlus-to-introduce-new-product-next-month-device-is-not-a-smartwatch-tablet-or-even-a-smartphone_id66780According to OnePlus founder Carl Pei, who was spotted walking the grounds at MWC, the company is going to be entering a new product category next month. What will this new product be? The easy guesses, such as a smartwatch or a tablet, have both been denied by the executive. That still leaves quite a few possibilities such as branded speakers, a fitness band carrying the OnePlus name, or even a smart television.

And of course, there is still the matter of the OnePlus One sequel. Pei had previously said back in January that the follow-up to the successful handset would "surprise people," ...]]>NewsTue, 03 Mar 2015 11:34:00 -0600http://www.phonearena.com/news/OnePlus-to-introduce-new-product-next-month-device-is-not-a-smartwatch-tablet-or-even-a-smartphone_id66780/commentsAlan F.Sony's Xperia Lollipop skin vs the older KitKat layout: UI comparisonhttp://www.phonearena.com/news/Sonys-Xperia-Lollipop-skin-vs-the-older-KitKat-layout-UI-comparison_id66779If yours is on the list of Sony devices due an upgrade to Android 5.0 Lollipop, it's probably safe to assume that you're running out of patience. Indeed, whenever the company starts seeding the new firmware, it'll likely be too late for it to not rank last in terms of speedines of software updates. Thankfully, the Sony Xperia M4 Aqua displayed at Sony's booth at MWC 2015 in Barcelona had Lollipop loaded on it, and it of course featured Sony's proprietary Xperia theme on top of it. In order to give you a taste of what's coming, we took a number of screenshots of its new interface and put them side-by-side ...]]>NewsTue, 03 Mar 2015 11:18:00 -0600http://www.phonearena.com/news/Sonys-Xperia-Lollipop-skin-vs-the-older-KitKat-layout-UI-comparison_id66779/commentsChris P.HTC One M9 performance benchmarks: Snapdragon 810 against Apple A8, Exynos 7420, and the resthttp://www.phonearena.com/news/HTC-One-M9-performance-benchmarks-Snapdragon-810-against-Apple-A8-Exynos-7420-and-the-rest_id66789

The HTC One M9 features Qualcomm's newest Snapdragon 810 system chip. It's one of the most powerful systems on a chip available right now, but this does not mean that it does not have some solid competition. This time around Samsung seems to have gone with its own Exynos octa-core solution in the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 Edge, and we already know that Apple is using its own Apple A8 with custom Cyclone CPU cores in the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus.

How does the new Snapdragon 810 compare against those two? And how much of an improvement is it compared ...]]>NewsTue, 03 Mar 2015 11:07:00 -0600http://www.phonearena.com/news/HTC-One-M9-performance-benchmarks-Snapdragon-810-against-Apple-A8-Exynos-7420-and-the-rest_id66789/commentsVictor H.Samsung exec hints that Note 5 will ship with a dual-edged screen, toohttp://www.phonearena.com/news/Samsung-exec-hints-that-Note-5-will-ship-with-a-dual-edged-screen-too_id66781Samsung is apparently pretty pumped about the largely positive reaction that its new flagships received at the MWC expo, and especially content with the interest in the unique S6 edge handset, and all the new features that its side-sloping panel brings to the table.

So pumped, in fact, that Samsung is considering doing the same with the Note Edge 2, or whatever the next curved Note 5 variation gets titled. “There is a possibility that Samsung will introduce the curved display for the Galaxy Note lineup,” is the direct quote from Roh Tae-moon, the executive VP of Samsung’s product ...]]>NewsTue, 03 Mar 2015 10:37:00 -0600http://www.phonearena.com/news/Samsung-exec-hints-that-Note-5-will-ship-with-a-dual-edged-screen-too_id66781/commentsDaniel P.HTC One M9 versus Apple iPhone 6 Plus: first lookhttp://www.phonearena.com/news/HTC-One-M9-versus-Apple-iPhone-6-Plus-first-look_id66768IntroductionThe HTC One series have set a new standard for high-quality design in the Android world, and the One M9 is the third iteration of that design with some improvements under the hood and in the camera department. The Apple iPhone 6 Plus, on the other hand, is selling like hotcakes and also takes pride in its slim and elegant metal body.

These two stylish devices will be direct rivals on the fiercely competitive smartphone market of 2015, and it’s time to compare the two in all aspects: design, display, performance, interface, camera, and battery life.

The HTC One M9 does away with the 4-megapixel 'UltraPixel' rear camera that it has used in the past two generations and make the jump all the way up to a 20-megapixel main shooter (don't worry, though, UltraPixel technology lives on in the front, selfie camera of the phone).

This gives HTC the possibility to offer 4K video recording along with the traditionally offered 1080p.

The One M9 records 4K UHD video at up to 30 frames per second and we got a chance to test this new feature at MWC 2015. While most monitors and TV sets do not yet ...]]>NewsTue, 03 Mar 2015 10:26:00 -0600http://www.phonearena.com/news/HTC-One-M9-video-recording-samples-4K-and-1080p-demonstration_id66782/commentsVictor H.Galaxy S6 edge: See how the official cases and flip covers look on Samsung's edgy flagshiphttp://www.phonearena.com/news/Galaxy-S6-edge-See-how-the-official-cases-and-flip-covers-look-on-Samsungs-edgy-flagship_id66783As with any other major Samsung smartphone announcement, you can rest assured that the South Korea-based manufacturer hasn't forgotten about accessories. We saw a number of cases and flip covers on display at Samsung's booth at MWC 2015 in Barcelona, and we were even given the opportunity to try out the official, Samsung-approved-and-distributed ones with the Galaxy S6 edge.

As you can imagine, depending on the color of your Galaxy S6 edge, there's a different accessory for you (not that you can't mix and match, of course). Therefore, we're looking at a protective case for the ...]]>NewsTue, 03 Mar 2015 10:23:00 -0600http://www.phonearena.com/news/Galaxy-S6-edge-See-how-the-official-cases-and-flip-covers-look-on-Samsungs-edgy-flagship_id66783/commentsChris P.Gionee Elife S7 hands on: the real Slim Jimhttp://www.phonearena.com/news/Gionee-Elife-S7-hands-on-the-real-Slim-Jim_id66785

The Elife S7 is Chinese vendor Gionee's new flagship smartphone. Most of you probably don't know Gionee, especially if you live in the USA or Europe, but if you know BLU from the US, well - BLU basically sells re-branded Gionee devices. The Elife S7 is designed with two ambitious goals in mind: delivering fast performance while retaining the slim frame that's become a signature touch for Gionee. The Elife S7 is only 0.22in (5.5mm) thin, but it packs some serious firepower! But first, design! The phone is really beautiful, premium feeling indeed, with a slim metal frame ...]]>NewsTue, 03 Mar 2015 10:14:00 -0600http://www.phonearena.com/news/Gionee-Elife-S7-hands-on-the-real-Slim-Jim_id66785/commentsChris P.HTC One M9 vs Samsung Galaxy Note Edge: first lookhttp://www.phonearena.com/news/HTC-One-M9-vs-Samsung-Galaxy-Note-Edge-first-look_id66767

IntroductionWith the Samsung Galaxy S6 edge riding the waves of hype and attention for its glossy, eye-catching looks, you'd be forgiven if the Galaxy Note Edge left your mind for the time being. However, we brought one to MWC 2015 with us, because we were quite eager to compare it with other devices that tick and buzz at the show floor - and that includes the freshly unveiled HTC One M9, which is quite the crowd pleaser too! So let's see how this one compares with the S6 edge's progenitor. DesignThe One M9 follows HTC's well established all-metal design line, and it does ...]]>NewsTue, 03 Mar 2015 10:09:00 -0600http://www.phonearena.com/news/HTC-One-M9-vs-Samsung-Galaxy-Note-Edge-first-look_id66767/commentsJohn V.HTC One M9 versus Samsung Galaxy S5: first lookhttp://www.phonearena.com/news/HTC-One-M9-versus-Samsung-Galaxy-S5-first-look_id66675In this First Look edition we are pitting Samsung's finest for last year, the Galaxy S5, against HTC's flagship that just got announced, the One M9. At first blush, HTC's handset beats the S5 in everything - design, specs, speed and interface. The One M9 is beautifully crafted of a single aluminum chassis, while the dimpled back of the S5, while aiding a tighter grip, pales in comparison. Granted, you can remove the cover and swap the battery, but HTC placed a bigger unit in the One M9, so battery life shouldn't be a problem.

The One M9 is notably thicker than the S5, which shows in ...]]>NewsTue, 03 Mar 2015 10:07:00 -0600http://www.phonearena.com/news/HTC-One-M9-versus-Samsung-Galaxy-S5-first-look_id66675/commentsJohn V.HTC One M9 vs Sony Xperia Z3: first lookhttp://www.phonearena.com/news/HTC-One-M9-vs-Sony-Xperia-Z3-first-look_id66755

Well, folks, HTC's 2015 flagship is here – the HTC One M9 was announced just a couple of days ago, at the MWC, in its full metal glory. While it doesn't look very different on the outside, it certainly got a few notable upgrades under its hood, which should keep it well in the game this year. HTC One flagships have been getting a lot of praise for their premium metal unibody design and, since the One M9 keeps a lot of the looks of its predecessors, we expect that it would still have its fair share of fans. So, since we're here and have our chance of a hands-on, of course ...]]>NewsTue, 03 Mar 2015 09:59:00 -0600http://www.phonearena.com/news/HTC-One-M9-vs-Sony-Xperia-Z3-first-look_id66755/commentsPaul.KLenovo A7000 hands-onhttp://www.phonearena.com/news/Lenovo-A7000-hands-on_id66778Have you ever heard of Dolby Atmos sound? Well, the new Lenovo A7000 has it, and is seemingly the first handset to be equipped with Dolby's new surround sound tech for mobile. We couldn't really check the "astonishing clarity, richness and depth" of the sound that Lenovo promises with the Atmos and the oversized speaker on the back, as the show floor was pretty noisy, but we'll do it when we get the handset for review. The phone looks fine with its grippable matte plastic back, and is pretty light for its size indeed.

The size comes from a largish 5.5" HD display with ...]]>NewsTue, 03 Mar 2015 09:54:00 -0600http://www.phonearena.com/news/Lenovo-A7000-hands-on_id66778/commentsDaniel P.Pebble Time watch smartstraps bring expandable sensors and a myriad of new possibilitieshttp://www.phonearena.com/news/Pebble-Time-watch-smartstraps-bring-expandable-sensors-and-a-myriad-of-new-possibilities_id66774

The Pebble Time Steel was not the only new anonuncement for Pebble today, as the company also unveiled details about its fully customizable smartstraps with an open SDK and possibility to add various sensors. With watches having minimal space for sensors, it makes sense to put them onto the strap, as straps could

How does the Pebble make this connection between the timepiece itself and its bands? There is a dedicated connection that allows sending and receiving both power and data to the device. Naturally, replacing these smartbands would happen in the same way as for the normal ...]]>NewsTue, 03 Mar 2015 09:52:00 -0600http://www.phonearena.com/news/Pebble-Time-watch-smartstraps-bring-expandable-sensors-and-a-myriad-of-new-possibilities_id66774/commentsVictor H.HTC One M9 versus LG G3: first lookhttp://www.phonearena.com/news/HTC-One-M9-versus-LG-G3-first-look_id66769IntroductionThe HTC One M9 is very much upon us, and in our efforts to compare it with the best smartphones of last year, we finally got to the LG G3! Let's have a look at how far HTC has come since LG launched its flagship smartphone, stuffed full of 2014's best screen, camera, and processing technology.DesignThe One M9 follows HTC's well established all-metal design line, and it does so in a safe, reliable way. At first sight, it's a bit difficult to tell the M9 and its predecessor apart, but at some point you will surely notice that the M9 looks more like it took the best elements ...]]>NewsTue, 03 Mar 2015 09:36:00 -0600http://www.phonearena.com/news/HTC-One-M9-versus-LG-G3-first-look_id66769/commentsJohn V.HTC One M9 vs Samsung Galaxy Note 4: first lookhttp://www.phonearena.com/news/HTC-One-M9-vs-Samsung-Galaxy-Note-4-first-look_id66754

Just a few days ago, HTC announced the seeming climax of its One flagship lineup, the One M9, which came packed with most of the traits and goodies that made the One (M7) and (M8) exquisite handsets. Although it got somewhat overshadowed by Samsung, the One M9 is certainly a device that we'll be mentioning it in the upcoming months.

One of the names that we'll be also mentioning in the next few months is, naturally, the noteworthy Samsung Galaxy Note 4, a device that gave us a sneak peek at what Sammy had in the pipeline for 2015. But how do these fare against ...]]>NewsTue, 03 Mar 2015 09:36:00 -0600http://www.phonearena.com/news/HTC-One-M9-vs-Samsung-Galaxy-Note-4-first-look_id66754/commentsPeter K.Lenovo Pocket Projector hands-onhttp://www.phonearena.com/news/Lenovo-Pocket-Projector-hands-on_id66775Lenovo outed a surprise 50-lumen pico projector at MWC that comes with dual speakers, 110" maximum projecting size, and can rotate 90 degrees for the best viewing angles available on your camping trip - take a peak at how it's done in our video below. The high-contrast LED light source can stream stuff wirelessly via DLNA or Miracast connectivity, or you can simply connect it via the microUSB port of your Android, iOS, or Windows Phone device.

The Lenovo Pocket Projector can last up to 2.5 hours on a charge, which means that you should be able to stream your average movie, even away ...]]>NewsTue, 03 Mar 2015 09:36:00 -0600http://www.phonearena.com/news/Lenovo-Pocket-Projector-hands-on_id66775/commentsDaniel P.HTC Sense 7 UI vs Sense 6 UI: a walk through the changes (gallery)http://www.phonearena.com/news/HTC-Sense-7-UI-vs-Sense-6-UI-a-walk-through-the-changes-gallery_id66766

We already made a comparison between Sense 6 on KitKat and on Lollipop. To be honest, we had to dig pretty deeper to find any changes in the interface. Not that we're complaining, but there were not as much novelties as we had hoped. Still, this is not a bad thing - Sense UI is among the more polished Android ...]]>NewsTue, 03 Mar 2015 08:49:00 -0600http://www.phonearena.com/news/HTC-Sense-7-UI-vs-Sense-6-UI-a-walk-through-the-changes-gallery_id66766/commentsPeter K.Pebble Time Steel unveiled on Kickstarter and ready to take on Apple Watchhttp://www.phonearena.com/news/Pebble-Time-Steel-unveiled-on-Kickstarter-and-ready-to-take-on-Apple-Watch_id66772

Just a few days after it unveiled its brand new Pebble Time smartwatch and introduced us to its new Timeline interface for the timepiece, Pebble Technology is now taking the cover off the Pebble Time Steel: a metal watch with exquisite styling, but otherwise practically identical to the original Pebble Time.

The Pebble Time Steel arrives as an addition to the Pebble Time campaign, and you can get it after you pledge $250 (the final retail version will sell for $300, so you're getting a good deal for ordering early via Kickstarter).

The ...]]>NewsTue, 03 Mar 2015 08:47:00 -0600http://www.phonearena.com/news/Pebble-Time-Steel-unveiled-on-Kickstarter-and-ready-to-take-on-Apple-Watch_id66772/commentsVictor H.Here's what you can do with the Galaxy S6 edge side screens: a features walkthroughhttp://www.phonearena.com/news/Heres-what-you-can-do-with-the-Galaxy-S6-edge-side-screens-a-features-walkthrough_id66688

Samsung got all eyes on its Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge flagships the other day, and it's the Edge that picked everyone's attention with its unorthodox side-sloping display, that is the only thing which separates it from the "plain" S6, if we don't count the slightly different dimensions, and the larger battery.

Galaxy S6 edge comes with a flexible AMOLED panel that has a plastic, instead of glass substrate, and bends over both the left and right edges of the new flagship, utilizing Samsung's proprietary 3D Thermoforming method. Besides the cool factor, these edges ...]]>NewsTue, 03 Mar 2015 08:44:00 -0600http://www.phonearena.com/news/Heres-what-you-can-do-with-the-Galaxy-S6-edge-side-screens-a-features-walkthrough_id66688/commentsDaniel P.Lenovo TAB 2 A10 hands-onhttp://www.phonearena.com/news/Lenovo-TAB-2-A10-hands-on_id66542

Enter the Lenovo TAB 2 A10, one of the two new tablets that the manufacturer just unveiled at MWC 2015. We were quite surprised by the hardware setup of the slate, which is actually pretty good for the affordable price that Lenovo will be asking for the device.

We are dealing with a 10.1-inch display, which means that compact is not among its merits, but that's normal. The Tab 2 A10 is a tablet that is a bit on the heavy side, but this makes it feels quite solid and sit comfortably in your hands. Yes, you'll need both of these if you want to comfortably ...]]>NewsTue, 03 Mar 2015 08:31:00 -0600http://www.phonearena.com/news/Lenovo-TAB-2-A10-hands-on_id66542/commentsJohn V.ZTE Blade S6 Plus hands-onhttp://www.phonearena.com/news/ZTE-Blade-S6-Plus-hands-on_id66727

The ZTE Blade S6 Plus is a larger version of the Blade S6, offering an affordable 64-bit Android phablet-class handset. Aside from the larger display, and thus – body, it doesn't differ much from its smaller sibling, in terms of specs.

Design and DisplayThe ZTE Blade S6 Plus has a design language reminiscent of the iPhone 6 Plus, with its curved sides, round home button, and flat back. Its body is plastic with a faux-aluminum finish. The home button is neat, as it glows in blue and the Android "Menu" and "Back" capacitive keys are disguised as small dots on both sides of it.

The ZTE Blade S6 is an affordable 64-bit Android handset, which can be bought for about $250, should you choose to import it. Sporting just a single capacitive button on its front, and rounded-off, metallic looks, the handset looks rather... familiar.

DesignThe ZTE Blade S6 reminds us of the iPhone 6 – it bears the same marking of design language, with its curved sides, round (still, capacitive) home button, and flat back. Still, the Blade has a plastic chassis, though, its finish does imitate aluminum. Its home button glows in blue, which we found to be a nice touch, while the ...]]>NewsTue, 03 Mar 2015 08:31:00 -0600http://www.phonearena.com/news/ZTE-Blade-S6-hands-on_id66728/commentsJohn V.Lenovo TAB 2 A8 hands-onhttp://www.phonearena.com/news/Lenovo-TAB-2-A8-hands-on_id66540The Lenovo TAB 2 A8 is the smaller new tablet that Lenovo just announced at MWC. It's a compact slate that has soft touch back and can be easily handled with a single hand. One of the highlights of this device are the front-facing speakers at the front, which make use of Dolby's Atmos audio technology.

Moving on to the rest of the specs, we have an 8-inch 720p IPS display at the front, which is nothing to write home about - it's a bit washed out and has unimpressive viewing angles, which tend to get quite distorted.

At past 3 million downloads and being an app we're fond of ourselves, Fleksy will be fully free for Galaxy owners - including the full keyboard functionality and the premium themes, which is a $10 value combined.

Samsung smartphones aside, Fleksy is available on the Samsung Gear S as well, in a version condensed for a smart-watch's minute display.

In ...]]>NewsTue, 03 Mar 2015 08:00:00 -0600http://www.phonearena.com/news/Fleksy-keyboard-app-goes-free-in-Samsung-Galaxy-Gifts-partners-with-Yahoo-for-search-extension_id66750/commentsLuis D.Samsung Galaxy S6 edge vs HTC One M9: in-depth specs comparisonhttp://www.phonearena.com/news/Samsung-Galaxy-S6-edge-vs-HTC-One-M9-in-depth-specs-comparison_id66765IntroductionThe Samsung Galaxy S6 edge and HTC One M9 are hot-shot devices that have seriously impressive looks, top-shelf components, and high price tags - the defining qualities of flagship smartphones. These two in particular have gotten lots of attention at this year's MWC, so let's have an initial look at how they compare against one another in the specs and software departments.DesignThe One M9 follows HTC's well established all-metal design line, and it does so in a safe, reliable way. At first sight, it's a bit difficult to tell the M9 and its predecessor apart, but at some ...]]>NewsTue, 03 Mar 2015 07:32:00 -0600http://www.phonearena.com/news/Samsung-Galaxy-S6-edge-vs-HTC-One-M9-in-depth-specs-comparison_id66765/commentsLuis D.Samsung Galaxy S6 edge vs iPhone 6 Plus: Optical image stabilization comparison (video)http://www.phonearena.com/news/Samsung-Galaxy-S6-edge-vs-iPhone-6-Plus-Optical-image-stabilization-comparison-video_id66763It took a while for manufacturers to get there, but now it seems almost certain – optical image stabilization in smartphone camares is here to stay. At least at the flagship level.

Ineed, after making the step with the Galaxy Note 4, Samsung is now also making OIS a part of the Galaxy S6's and Galaxy S6 edge's respective camera stacks. Put simply, this will allow the shooter to nullify a big portion of shake and tremors during video capture and also unlock the camera's potential in low light environments by letting it slow down the shutter and allow more light in.

In ...]]>NewsTue, 03 Mar 2015 07:27:00 -0600http://www.phonearena.com/news/Samsung-Galaxy-S6-edge-vs-iPhone-6-Plus-Optical-image-stabilization-comparison-video_id66763/commentsChris P.Number of the beast: six Galaxy S6 features that can't be found on the iPhone 6http://www.phonearena.com/news/Number-of-the-beast-six-Galaxy-S6-features-that-cant-be-found-on-the-iPhone-6_id66764

Say what you will about screen-to-phone ratios, protruding cameras and pricing schemes, but the iPhone 6 is proving remarkably successful for Apple, certainly much more than the iPhone 5c experiment the other year.

When we look outside, though, it faces a very stiff competition from all the Android flagships out there and, now, from the just-announced Samsung Galaxy S6.

This is why we are listing six features that the Galaxy S6 holds over Apple's finest, helping you cut through the slack with some tangible advantages that are different ...]]>NewsTue, 03 Mar 2015 07:25:00 -0600http://www.phonearena.com/news/Number-of-the-beast-six-Galaxy-S6-features-that-cant-be-found-on-the-iPhone-6_id66764/commentsDaniel P.BlackBerry teases upcoming dual-curved 'edge' slider phonehttp://www.phonearena.com/news/BlackBerry-teases-upcoming-dual-curved-edge-slider-phone_id66760

The next big thing by Samsung and HTC is already here, but one company that seems to have been forgotten in the past few years, claims that it is on the road to recovery. We're talking about BlackBerry, which teased something huge: a brand new BlackBerry flagship phone with a dual-curved 'edge' display (similar to the Galaxy S6 edge) and a slider form factor.

Ron Louks, president of the devices and emerging solutions division at BlackBerry teased the upcoming high-profile gadget at Mobile World Congress without giving away any further details.

"What ...]]>NewsTue, 03 Mar 2015 06:38:00 -0600http://www.phonearena.com/news/BlackBerry-teases-upcoming-dual-curved-edge-slider-phone_id66760/commentsVictor H.More Galaxy S6 edge camera samples: Check out what the 16MP, F1.9 unit can dohttp://www.phonearena.com/news/More-Galaxy-S6-edge-camera-samples-Check-out-what-the-16MP-F1.9-unit-can-do_id66762A 16-megapixel Sony Exmor RS IMX240 sensor with extremely wide, f/1.9 lens and optical image stabilization – now who wouldn't get behind such a camera? We've already formed a first impression (a good one) of the unit, and though we'll continue sharing with you those insights for as long as we're here in Barcelona, do keep in mind that it's too early to tell if the Galaxy S6/S6 edge will outperform the competition.

Regardless of all of that, we went to Samsung's booth once again to snap a few more samples with it. The area outside of is strictly off limits when you ...]]>NewsTue, 03 Mar 2015 06:05:00 -0600http://www.phonearena.com/news/More-Galaxy-S6-edge-camera-samples-Check-out-what-the-16MP-F1.9-unit-can-do_id66762/commentsChris P.Huawei's phones to enter the US market, CEO ready to take on Applehttp://www.phonearena.com/news/Huaweis-phones-to-enter-the-US-market-CEO-ready-to-take-on-Apple_id66761“Most Chinese smartphone vendors will disappear in the next three to five years, and we’ll be the leading ones.” That's a statement you can expect only from Huawei's outspoken CEO Richard Yu, and he didn't disappoint at the MWC expo. “In the future, our main competition will be from Western companies, not Chinese companies,” he added. Now that two years have passed from the alleged telco spying scandal with Huawei, the company will be making a grand arrival on US shores, and will make its phones available directly under the Honor brand, reports Reuters.

In the last two years, HTC had an unique solution - while competition was offering 8-megapixel, 13-, 16- or even 20- megapixel cameras, HTC decided to equip its flagship with an 4-megapixel one. They call it an "UltraPixel" camera, because it has smaller resolution but normally sized sensor, resulting in larger pixel size. This year's HTC One model - the M9 - is no longer featuring an "UltraPixel" main camera, but a StandardPixel 20-megapixel. However, the UtraPixel lives with the front selfie camera, which has 4-megapixel 16:9 resolution.

The Acer Liquid Z220 is another affordable Androdi phone by Acer unveiled at MWC 2015, and we took a quick hands-on look at the device to give you our quick impressions about the build quality and feel of this new phone.

The Liquid Z220 comes with a 4-inch display with 480 x 800 pixel resolution and runs on the latest Android 5.0 Lollipop with a very light Acer skin on top (the major change is in the icon styling).

Under the hood, there is a dual-core Snapdragon 200 system chip and 1GB of RAM. You've also got 8GB of internal ...]]>NewsTue, 03 Mar 2015 05:06:00 -0600http://www.phonearena.com/news/Acer-Liquid-Z220-hands-on-Android-Lollipop-on-the-cheap_id66699/commentsChris P.LG Joy hands-onhttp://www.phonearena.com/news/LG-Joy-hands-on_id66710

The LG Joy is one of the most affordable Android phones on display at the Mobile World Congress 2015: a compact, 4-inch device with a quad-core chip and a 5-megapixel camera, it checks all the bases.

In terms of the design, the LG Joy is not at all pretentious: it features a plastic body with an accent on the bottom and some pretty sizable bezels. Still, it fits easily in the hand and is very comfortable for single-handed use. Interestingly, we're seeing a four-button setup for navigation that we haven't seen in years (hello, Android Gingerbread times!).

The BlackBerry Leap has made its official entry: the new 'Berry features a 5-inch HD all touch display (there is no physical QWERTY keyboard in this phone) and brags about having a 25-hour battery life.

The BlackBerry Leap sports the fairly quaint Snapdragon S4 Plus system chip with 2GB of RAM and 16 gigs of internal storage. It's the battery life that the company touts as one of the hallmark features of the new phone, though, as it has a 2800 mAh battery pack. With all the sleek newly unveiled devices, though, the Leap strikes an impression of being ...]]>NewsTue, 03 Mar 2015 04:37:00 -0600http://www.phonearena.com/news/BlackBerry-Leap-makes-its-official-entry-5-all-touch-phone-with-long-battery-life_id66757/commentsVictor H.Acer Liquid M220 hands-onhttp://www.phonearena.com/news/Acer-Liquid-M220-hands-on_id66701

At MWC 2015, Acer just unveiled the Liquid M220, a low-end Windows Phone device, endowed with a 4-inch display at the front. At the back, photography lovers will find a 5MP camera which will hardly soothe their photography hunger, while selfie lovers will have the opportunity to shoot themselves with the 2MP front-facing selfie snapper.

Inside the device, we find a humble 1.2GHz chipset of unknown make, but we are suspicious that Qualcomm has been responsible for it. Paired with 512MB of RAM, the Liquid M220 doesn't provide stellar performance, but lives up ...]]>NewsTue, 03 Mar 2015 04:26:00 -0600http://www.phonearena.com/news/Acer-Liquid-M220-hands-on_id66701/commentsChris P.LG Magna hands-on: a mid-ranger with a slight premium vibehttp://www.phonearena.com/news/LG-Magna-hands-on-a-mid-ranger-with-a-slight-premium-vibe_id66594

LG has been on the run lately, announcing not one but four new devices at MWC 2015, both entry-level and mid-range ones. One of these is the LG Magna, a solid mid-ranger that aims to bring a premium vibe to the market segment.

Still, it's made of plastic and you'd certainly be aware of this when you're handling the handset. It's adopted certain lines from the G Flex, G Flex 2 (namely, the curved silhouette, which has made ). The phone has a 5-inch 720p display, which seems a bit washed out.

From the get-go, it's a 5-inch ...]]>NewsTue, 03 Mar 2015 04:25:00 -0600http://www.phonearena.com/news/LG-Magna-hands-on-a-mid-ranger-with-a-slight-premium-vibe_id66594/commentsJohn V.Motorola Moto E (2015) hands-onhttp://www.phonearena.com/news/Motorola-Moto-E-2015-hands-on_id66733The 2015 edition of the extremely affordable Motorola Moto E has arrived to Mobile World Congress 2015, and that's a great opportunity to spend some time with the cute 4.5-inch Android 5.0 Lollipop device. The Moto E (2015 edition) is already on sale in retail stores, and this will be just a quick look as we gear up for our full-on review of the device.

Design and display

The original Moto E featured a fairly mundane plastic design, and while the material remains plastic in the Moto E (2015 edition), Motorola / Lenovo is introducing a colorful touch with an ...]]>NewsTue, 03 Mar 2015 04:24:00 -0600http://www.phonearena.com/news/Motorola-Moto-E-2015-hands-on_id66733/commentsJohn V.And the best phone camera is... pro photogs rank Note 4, iPhone 6, Z3, Lumia 1020 and morehttp://www.phonearena.com/news/And-the-best-phone-camera-is...-pro-photogs-rank-Note-4-iPhone-6-Z3-Lumia-1020-and-more_id66752Taking a bunch of seasonal smartphones, like the iPhone 6, HTC One M8, LG G3, Nokia Lumia 1020, Samsung Galaxy Note 4, Sony Xperia Z1 Compact and Sony Xperia Z3, photo aficionados from Poland have snapped a bunch of samples in sunny Morocco, and then given them to professional photographers for ranking purposes.

The experiment has been a blind one, meaning that the shutterbugs didn't know which picture came from which phone, just like we often do in our comparisons. The list of experts includes prominent lecturers and even editors of photography magazines, so it is as representative ...]]>NewsTue, 03 Mar 2015 02:40:00 -0600http://www.phonearena.com/news/And-the-best-phone-camera-is...-pro-photogs-rank-Note-4-iPhone-6-Z3-Lumia-1020-and-more_id66752/commentsDaniel P.Crowd-sourced traffic app Waze to come pre-installed on some Android modelshttp://www.phonearena.com/news/Crowd-sourced-traffic-app-Waze-to-come-pre-installed-on-some-Android-models_id66747Crowd-sourced traffic app Waze, owned by Google, is now officially one of the Google Mobile Services apps. That means it is on the list of Google apps that can be pre-installed on an Android phone by a handset manufacturer. In June 2013, Google purchased Israeli born Waze for $1.15 billion, beating out Facebook for the prize. The latter wanted the entire Waze team to move to Facebook HQ in the U.S. which was not acceptable to Waze. Despite the acquisition by Google, Waze is run separately from Google Maps.

Monday's announcement was made at MWC and Waze boiled down the announcement into two ...]]>NewsTue, 03 Mar 2015 02:32:00 -0600http://www.phonearena.com/news/Crowd-sourced-traffic-app-Waze-to-come-pre-installed-on-some-Android-models_id66747/commentsAlan F.Exynos 7420 (Galaxy S6) vs Snapdragon 810 (HTC One M9) vs Apple A8 (iPhone 6) benchmark scoreshttp://www.phonearena.com/news/Exynos-7420-Galaxy-S6-vs-Snapdragon-810-HTC-One-M9-vs-Apple-A8-iPhone-6-benchmark-scores_id66748MWC is winding down, and with it everybody can take a closer look at the nitty-gritty details of the flagships announced. A Galaxy S6 model has been tested on the cross-platform GeekBench, pitted against Qualcomm's finest Snapdragon 810 in the new HTC One M9, and Apple's top A8 dog in the iPhone 6.

Needless to say, the record multicore scores of the Galaxy S6 are due to the octa-core Exynos 7420 chipset, which puts the new Samsung flagship at the top of the mobile game, when the cores are firing on all cylinders. When it comes to the more useful single-core performance, ...]]>NewsTue, 03 Mar 2015 01:53:00 -0600http://www.phonearena.com/news/Exynos-7420-Galaxy-S6-vs-Snapdragon-810-HTC-One-M9-vs-Apple-A8-iPhone-6-benchmark-scores_id66748/commentsDaniel P.Google Play Store is celebrating its third birthday with content salehttp://www.phonearena.com/news/Google-Play-Store-is-celebrating-its-third-birthday-with-content-sale_id66736It's the Google Play Store's third birthday! Do you guys remember when it was called the Android Market? Back in October 2010, the Android Market had 100,000 apps lining its shelves which was one-third the number that the App Store had available. At that time, we asked whether the Android Market could catch up. Well, we all know the answer to that question since both app repositories now offer pretty much the same number of apps.

For the Google Play Store's birthday, prices are being reduced on a number of items. Want to revisit the moment of television gold when Walter and Jessie went into ...]]>NewsTue, 03 Mar 2015 01:15:00 -0600http://www.phonearena.com/news/Google-Play-Store-is-celebrating-its-third-birthday-with-content-sale_id66736/commentsAlan F.New Android commercial takes it to the hardwood court for slams and camshttp://www.phonearena.com/news/New-Android-commercial-takes-it-to-the-hardwood-court-for-slams-and-cams_id66746

About a month ago, Google produced an ad for the Android OS that featured all sorts of strange animal friendships. The ad debuted the new Android slogan, "be together. not the same." That commercial happened to get a lot of air time. Now, it is time for Google to put the next ad in the prime time rotation. Instead of strange animal friendships, we are treated to some NBA style hoops action.

Google has titled this ad "Selfie Slam" and it is easy to see why. A player has the ball in the back court, employs a cross-over dribble and throws down a monster slam. The play-by-play announcer ...]]>NewsTue, 03 Mar 2015 00:05:00 -0600http://www.phonearena.com/news/New-Android-commercial-takes-it-to-the-hardwood-court-for-slams-and-cams_id66746/commentsAlan F.Sony has theme changing app aimed at experienced developershttp://www.phonearena.com/news/Sony-has-theme-changing-app-aimed-at-experienced-developers_id66743The other day we showed you a new feature coming to HTC Sense 7 that allows you to build you own theme from a photograph taken with your HTC phone. You will see wallpapers based on your photo, and color options for your apps and BlinkFeed will appear, also based on the picture you've snapped. Now, Sony has an app that offers Xperia users the ability to create their own themes. But unlike the one on Sense, Sony's app is aimed at experienced developers.

The Sony Theme Creator app installs on a PC and when used with an image editor like Photoshop, gives you the ability to customize over 300 ...]]>NewsMon, 02 Mar 2015 22:33:00 -0600http://www.phonearena.com/news/Sony-has-theme-changing-app-aimed-at-experienced-developers_id66743/commentsAlan F.Latest data shows 3.3% of Android users with Lollipop, more than double last month's figurehttp://www.phonearena.com/news/Latest-data-shows-3.3-of-Android-users-with-Lollipop-more-than-double-last-months-figure_id66744The latest numbers are out and they reveal that 3.3% of Android users are running Android 5.0 on their devices. That is more than double the 1.6% that were found using Lollipop last month. The numbers are based on the versions of Android found on devices visiting the Google Play Store for the seven days ending today.

Jelly Bean is the most widely used Android build. Consisting of Android 4.1.x to Android 4.3, Jelly Bean is active on 42.6% of Android devices. That is down from last month's total of 45.6%. KitKat, Android 4.4, is used by 40.9% of Android devices which is up from 39.9% seen ...]]>NewsMon, 02 Mar 2015 20:44:00 -0600http://www.phonearena.com/news/Latest-data-shows-3.3-of-Android-users-with-Lollipop-more-than-double-last-months-figure_id66744/commentsAlan F.See all the Samsung Galaxy S6 and S6 edge color variants here - which one do you like best?http://www.phonearena.com/news/See-all-the-Samsung-Galaxy-S6-and-S6-edge-color-variants-here---which-one-do-you-like-best_id66745Samsung says the Galaxy S6 and Galaxy S6 edge are the most beautiful smartphones in its history, and it's obvious that the company has spent a lot of time deciding what colors the handsets should have at launch. As you may already know, the new Galaxies have four color versions each, but only three of them are common to both phones: White Pearl, Black Sapphire (which looks more like dark blue, rather than black), and Gold Platinum. The Galaxy S6 has an exclusive Blue Topaz variant, while the exclusive color variant of the S6 edge is Green Emerald.

While we're still about a month away ...]]>NewsMon, 02 Mar 2015 19:11:00 -0600http://www.phonearena.com/news/See-all-the-Samsung-Galaxy-S6-and-S6-edge-color-variants-here---which-one-do-you-like-best_id66745/commentsFlorin T.Samsung Galaxy S6/S6 edge feature showcase: The re-imagined S Health apphttp://www.phonearena.com/news/Samsung-Galaxy-S6S6-edge-feature-showcase-The-re-imagined-S-Health-app_id66698Is there any doubt left that wearable technology, sooner rather than later, will become an essential part of keeping track of our health? One needn't have a mysty crystal ball to see that that's where things are headed, and, given enough will on the part of manufacturers, it seems pretty certain that those wearables will be tightly integrated with our smartphones.

Indeed, companies like Samsung have already begun prepping for this expected new age of health and fitness tracking, and its S Health suite has been going through an improvement after improvement. S Health can now track ...]]>NewsMon, 02 Mar 2015 16:44:00 -0600http://www.phonearena.com/news/Samsung-Galaxy-S6S6-edge-feature-showcase-The-re-imagined-S-Health-app_id66698/commentsChris P.